The hospitality industry may be about providing food, drink, accommodation and service, but sometimes you have to do that little bit more to pull customers in. If you’re stuck for ideas on building excitement at your restaurant, pub or hotel, check out what these businesses are doing for inspiration.
St George's Day
London restaurant Bentley’s Oyster Bar and Grill and the Fifth Floor restaurant at the capital's department store Harvey Nichols will be celebrating St George’s Day with special promotions this year. Richard Corrigan's Swallow Street restaurant will hold an English food and wine matching evening on 23 April, matching Nyetimber wines with five different courses for £79 per ticket while Jonas Karlsson, executive chef of the Fifth Floor Restaurant , has created a Great British Market Menu using the nation's best produce in honour of the event. The menu is available from 19-24 April at lunchtime only for £19.50 (two courses) and £24.50 (three courses).
Rent-a-chef
Glasgow's restaurant, deli and shop Cookie has launched a Rent-a-Chef service enabling people to hire one of its chefs to cook in their home or at an event. Chefs will also show customers how to prepare dishes if they wish and how to make the most of the equipment available in their own kitchens.
Risotto demos
The Ealing and Chiswick branches of Carluccio's will be holding risotto-making demonstrations for customers on 22 and 29 April respectively. The £25 sessions with the restaurants' chefs include a glass of wine, a step-by-step guide to making risotto and a lesson on how to make arancini. Attendees are invited to enjoy the fruits of their labours before taking home a goody bag containing the ingredients to make the risotto at home.
Business booking bonanza
London hotel Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes has created an incentive for event organisers and PAs using its seven meeting rooms. For all residential bookings worth over £3,000 booked before 30 September 2010, the hotel will give the person booking a free night's stay plus £40 high street shopping vouchers.